Growth Diamond Model · S. Mishra, 2022
An evolution of the Double Diamond framework that emphasizes solution growth through iterative design, development, testing, and implementation. The Growth Diamond Model recognizes that solution development often requires a broader exploration space than problem discovery. The framework integrates design, development, testing, implementation, and continuous iteration to move ideas from need identification to market impact.
Industry research suggests that a large majority of new products fail to meet expectations. Often the failure is not a lack of talent or effort - it is solving the wrong problem, or losing user connection after the workshop ends. Read more in Why 80-95% of Products Fail.
Most teams finish Empathize and Define with energy, run a creative Ideate session, build a prototype - and then treat launch as someone else's job. Frameworks on the wall do not help if there are no mechanisms in the room for each phase.
Teams had frameworks on the wall, but not mechanisms in the room.
I built the Growth Diamond ModelTM after 20+ years leading product and program work at global MNCs including Amazon, Volvo Group, and Tata Motors - including governance platforms used by 50,000 people across 23 countries. An evolution of the Double Diamond framework that emphasizes solution growth through iterative design, development, testing, and implementation. The Growth Diamond Model recognizes that solution development often requires a broader exploration space than problem discovery. The framework integrates design, development, testing, implementation, and continuous iteration to move ideas from need identification to market impact.
The Growth Diamond ModelTM organizes work into three spaces - Problem, Solution, and Market space (PSM). Each space has a clear outcome and links to free Academy chapters for depth.
| Space | Phases | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Problem | Empathize, Define | Validated problem statement + success criteria |
| Solution | Ideate, Develop | Built, tested solution ready for release |
| Market | Implement | Adoption, positioning, enhancement |
Start with user reality, not assumptions. Empathize and Define convert pain points into problem statements teams can execute against.
Explore options, then build with rigor. Ideate and Develop cover brainstorming through release planning, rapid prototyping, and testing.
This is the gap most frameworks leave open. Market space and the Implement phase cover launch, adoption, and ongoing enhancement - where products actually succeed or fail in the wild. Read Market Space in Design Thinking: Beyond Build.
PSM spaces mapped across EDIDI phases - Problem (Empathize/Define), Solution (Ideate/Develop), Market (Implement).
Five phases (EDIDI), each with defined tools. Divergent and convergent thinking apply in Problem and Solution spaces.
Understand user pain in context before any solution is proposed. Divergent thinking dominates: expand what you observe before you narrow.
Key tools
Common mistake: Running validation interviews to confirm what you already believe instead of discovery interviews to learn what you do not know.
Convert observations into a crisp problem statement and measurable success criteria. Convergent thinking: synthesize insight into one actionable frame.
Key tools
Common mistake: Writing problem statements that describe a solution ("we need an app") instead of the user need.
Generate multiple solution directions before committing build effort. Diverge again: quantity and variety before evaluation.
Key tools
Common mistake: Skipping to the first idea the loudest voice in the room prefers.
Build, test, and refine the solution with product discipline - roadmaps, prototypes, acceptance criteria, and release planning. This is where the Growth Diamond Model goes deeper than most design thinking curricula.
Key tools
Common mistake: Treating a clickable prototype as "done" without a path to production quality and operational readiness.
Launch, drive adoption, and sustain value in the market. Converge on go-to-market: positioning, stakeholder influence, crossing the chasm, and post-launch enhancement.
Key tools
Common mistake: Assuming a good product will find its users without explicit adoption and communication work.
Short definitions for the vocabulary used across this page, the Academy, and Insights.
The Growth Diamond ModelTM is not a rejection of Double Diamond or Stanford's five-stage loop. It is an evolution for product and operations teams who must ship and sustain value, not only run workshops.
| Classic models | Growth Diamond Model (EDIDI) |
|---|---|
| Discover / Empathize | Empathize |
| Define | Define |
| Develop / Ideate | Ideate |
| Deliver / Prototype + Test | Develop |
| - | Implement (Market space) |
For a full comparison, read Design Thinking vs Double Diamond, Growth Diamond Model vs IDEO, and the Academy chapter on Honeycomb and Double Diamond models. For why Implement matters, see The Implement Phase Most Teams Skip. For operations teams, see Design Thinking for Operational Excellence.
MBA programs, engineering institutes, and design schools use the Growth Diamond Model for guest lectures, bootcamps, and faculty development on design thinking and product management.
Product teams, innovation labs, and business leaders apply EDIDI for problem framing, facilitation, and advisory on user-centric decisions at scale.
Self-learners can study the full framework free in the Academy - 39 chapters from What is Design Thinking? through Implement.
The Growth Diamond ModelTM was created by Saurabh Mishra (MBA, IIM Ahmedabad; Founder - Evynx Technologies) from two decades of product, operations, and strategy work. It reflects real constraints: cross-functional teams, executive stakeholders, global rollouts, and platforms that must serve tens of thousands of users reliably.
One operational governance platform served 50,000 users across 23 countries and saved over one million manager-hours annually through workflow-led transformation. That scale is why Implement is a first-class phase - not an appendix.
Book a session to discuss format and outcomes.